


Birds Need to Fly

by minutiae



Category: Wiedźmin | The Witcher (Video Game), Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types, Wiedźmin | The Witcher Series - Andrzej Sapkowski
Genre: Ballet, Ballroom Dancing, Breakdancing, Dancing, Gen, Geralt/Eskel if you squint, I wrote this in half an hour while waiting for my hair dye to set, No beta we die like Lambert's last brain cell, Vesemir misses his boyfriend, Vesemir/Keldar, Winter At Kaer Morhen, Witchers deserve nice things, and dancing, no kissing, only fluff here, plot twist it's Keldar
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-25
Updated: 2020-12-25
Packaged: 2021-03-10 22:00:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,126
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28304199
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/minutiae/pseuds/minutiae
Summary: Uh, my hand slipped. Here, have a little one shot that I’m 100% blaming rawrkinjd for. <3 Thanks Lia for the ballet videoooosAnd the Cake Shop. Fuckin love ya’ll. <3(Hey btw y'all look- Frenchkey did a beautiful podfic!)
Relationships: Aiden/Lambert (The Witcher)
Comments: 35
Kudos: 51





	Birds Need to Fly

The keep was practically vibrating with the tensions of five young witchers, with energy to burn and the snow outside nearly double the height of the shortest. Aiden had deliberately complained about this, wrangling Lambert into “measuring properly”. It was a ceremonial affair, Aiden steadfastly insisting this means he no longer would train outdoors. 

Lambert did not argue. 

This did mean, however, that no one else wanted to train. Geralt and Eskel were too evenly matched, and as this was Coen’s first winter he was hesitant to suggest other options. 

So they stayed quiet, running laps through old hallways, climbing broken walls much to the consternation of Vesemir. Aiden would leap from rafter beam to rafter beam, cackling down at the irritation of Eskel. He was convinced the big beams were too rotten for such activity and would follow Aiden and Lambert around with an utter exasperation that delighted the two, before one would deliberately fall, only to be caught by the big witcher. 

Even that game had lost it’s lustre in the deep winter. They lazed around the fire, sprawled across couches and Lambert laid flat on his back, tossing a small rock up to Aiden, who was balanced on the beam directly above him, one arm hanging down lazily. His green eyes reflected the firelight, and he never failed to catch the pebble tossed up at him. 

Vesemir, however, was done with the rising tension. He slapped his hands against the arms of the chair, and rose to his feet. 

“All of you, up. If we do nothing else, it’s dance practice." 

Aiden promptly rolled off the beam, dropping lightly in front of Vesemir. 

"The ballroom?" 

Eskel grimaced. "Still full of goats. I haven’t finished repairing the shed." 

Geralt flopped back down. 

"Room’s full, can’t dance.”

Eskel’s big, pleading eyes made him groan and stand back up. Vesemir stopped in front of Coen, who stood awkwardly. 

“You’ve watched them dance a number of times, lad, and not joined in.” Coen nodded quietly. He was just as deft on his feet as the rest, but demurred whenever a partner was offered. 

It was stunning to watch the smooth, elegant lines of Geralt and Eskel gliding through the big room, moving completely in sync. Eskel may have been taller, and broader, with the deep voice and looming demeanor, but he was only putty in Geralt’s long arms. His eyes shone wide and dark, lost in the slight movements that kept them moving together. 

Vesemir had taken over teaching Aiden his first winter, the small skittish young witcher uncertain and too willing to simply cling to his lover than learn the steps. But he learned quickly all of the moves, soaking up the eldest’s grumbling directions. A gentle hand on his back, a nudge on his elbow and he now glided as gracefully as the rest every winter. He’d listened, quiet and serious as Vesemir spoke about why they danced. 

The trust, in your partner, in your pack, to guide and lead you around the room, trusting your motions and movements to your partner. They learned to dance, then would blindfold one, and then both, encouraging the fluidity and trust, the patience and attention to minute touches of their partner. 

But that had been before, when wolves hunted in packs.

Now, they danced for the closeness of family, the warmth and familiarity of winter. 

It took two winters before Aiden finally admitted that his school learned to dance differently- A spinning, gymnastic event that delighted in the hidden strength and balance of the body. There was a small room, deep in the keep near Vesemir’s room with smooth, bouncy wooden boards, the walls hung with curtains and tapestries. Aiden had declared it perfect, teaching them how to spin and balance on the palms of their hands, his legs a windmill as he grinned, before balancing himself in a curving backbend. Lambert had still not managed to learn how to balance on his head but they often heard laughter and crashes from the small dancing room when the two disappeared to practice alone. 

It was to this room that Vesemir took them. 

He walked around the edge of the room, yanking back the dusty curtains, uncovering first two big windows, high up on the wall and then a full mirrored wall, with the silvered glass darkening with age. Two long bars ran across the center of the mirror, and every eye turned on Coen who simply gasped, entranced. 

He walked forward quietly, one hand trembling as he ran along the smooth, strong bar. His yellow-green eyes caught Vesemir’s, who just smiled sadly, and waved him on.

“I’m sorry I didn’t think to offer you the room sooner, Coen. It’s been a long time since I’ve pulled the curtains back.”

“You put this in?”

The elder witcher just nodded, and pulled an old chair from a corner, where he waved the others out of the way, to sit and watch. 

Coen stripped out of his long sweater, dropping to the floor to stretch, joined immediately after by Aiden, who simply smiled quietly and copied each movement. 

They spoke quietly, as Coen moved through his stretches. They were long, slow, soft motions and Aiden was co-opted into some incredibly uncomfortable looking stretches. He just raised an eyebrow and pressed harder, and then later braced his weight to old Coen’s leg as he bent low, one leg straight and tall. 

It seemed hours before he brushed an hand down Aiden’s back, murmuring a quiet thanks before he began moving through the center of the room. He spun, long and graceful, balanced on one foot as his leg stretched high and long behind him. He bent, and leapt, his arms round and wide, his legs straight and powerful. 

He danced for a while before Vesemir stood, and they all watched the old man step softly beside him. 

“It’s easy to see why you were his favorite. Come, I know both parts.”

They danced quietly together, Vesemir guiding and holding the younger man as they moved through the dance. Coen finally stood, shaking out his limbs, and wrapped the old man in a hug. 

“Thank you. Of all the things that were lost with the keep, this was one I never thought I’d get back.”

Vesemir just smiled. “I’ll need time to get back into shape, Coen. It’s been years since your tutor regularly visited. But he always did insist that birds need to fly, so I learned how to help him. It’s a good tribute to his memory to keep dancing. The room is yours, whenever you like.”

His eyes were bright, and he patted the tall young man on the shoulder, grasping once firmly, before he strode out of the room.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [[Podfic] Birds Need to Fly](https://archiveofourown.org/works/28719549) by [FrenchKey](https://archiveofourown.org/users/FrenchKey/pseuds/FrenchKey)




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